With a microphone command, referee Matteo Renal stopped the clock after 82 seconds at Twickenham on Saturday afternoon. Charlie Ewells’ repeated interfering with James Ryan on the big screen led to sighs in the stands. England fans who knew the rules of rugby knew the exact timing. Red card inevitable in the Six Nations match against Ireland.
The French left no doubt. Ewells failed to tilt his torso, causing Ryan to hit his head. The offender apologized and accepted the punishment as a rugby player. Quiet, respectable and without crosswords. Anyone who threatens the welfare of his opponent should not rely on indulgences of any kind.
Ireland won partly thanks to a numerical surplus against England 32–15, but the international match would not enter the books as a duel, resulting in the vice-world champion being tortured by the referee’s first intervention (Video) it was done. A classic appeared on the field that was credited with writing decorative letters in logs. Unruly, the local team fought for every meter until the energy ran out.
Guests were proud of the sight at ITV Studios. The trio did not generate much analysis, but they declared their love of the league as the “crown jewel” of the game for good reason. Johnny Wilkinson, known for his ‘drop goals’ won in the 2003 World Cup final, former national team manager Clive Woodward and Irish legend Brian O’Driscoll have spread the gospel of rugby to millions of spectators.
If the Six needed incentive not to hide under a thick layer of dust, the marketing department could give a damn. But this event steeped in delicious traditions doesn’t need publicity at first sight. Spectators just aren’t high for matches between France, Wales, Scotland, Italy, England and Ireland. A rugby masterpiece sells itself.
President Barack Obama symbolically pointed to one of the greatest Irish players of all time, pointing his hat to the tournament’s global impact at the White House on St. Patrick’s Day 2014. “I understand that the great Brian O’Driscoll will play his last international tomorrow,” he gleefully told his fans. The next day Ireland defeated France to win the Six Nations Championship.
looking for more shine
European rugby leaders like to point to the incident in Washington as a way to maintain the status quo. Killing the golden egg-laying goose in search of more glamor and charm to attract a wider audience is like taking an oath in church. At least he’s gone. The coronavirus rugby pandemic has struck heart. Revenue dried up.
No country paid more attention to this than South Africa. Under pressure from New Zealand, the competition continued between provincial teams from the Southern Hemisphere, with no teams from Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban. They didn’t have to look for a new home for long. Europe has recently embraced the commercial value of World Cup winners, South African representative clubs.
A major league has been renamed to include the Stormers, Lions, Bulls and Sharks in its rounds. Pro14 – the main tournament for teams from Italy, Scotland, Ireland and Wales – has become United Rugby League. From next year, South African clubs will also participate in the European Rugby Champions Cup, the football equivalent of the Champions League.
If “Springbok” had its way, it wouldn’t stop there. In a few years they want to join the domain of Six Nations. Italy, which has competed only since 2000 and lost to Scotland for the 36th time in a row in Rome on Saturday, will have to relinquish its seat. Italy vetoed the plan last month, but insiders predict the cherished traditions will soon spur lenders’ wishes.
CVC Capital Partners is at the forefront of this. During the Crown crisis, the investment firm bought a seventh of the six countries for 425 million euros. In return for this financial injection, politicians want to wipe the traps off the tracks of families. Rugby’s cash cow “failed to tap its full potential”, summarized an article in a British newspaper. Wire This approach in a nutshell.
Updates
In the broadest sense, South Africa plays an outstanding role as a countermeasure to modernization. The 1995 World Cup marked the beginning of professional rugby. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch took full advantage of Johannesburg’s interest in fantasy sports history. The world happily watched the Springboks, with President Nelson Mandela as the leader, Ellis Park to defeat New Zealand in the final and romanticize the film. invincibleI
Thanks to television funding and sponsorship deals, the sport has evolved to include seven-mile running shoes. The World Rugby Union acknowledges that the draft has been around for some time. His desire for a one-nation championship took shape, especially despite early opposition from Europeans. In this format, the Six Nations Championship is the starting point for a great final against the best country in the rest of the world.
Approval will come before summer, with the plan now dependent on support in both Europe and the Southern Hemisphere. Including South Africa in six will probably be on the agenda within five years. According to Rai, the tournament France can win next week will have to make sacrifices to make rugby the guide of the future.
Fundamentalists such as O’Driscoll, Woodward and Wilkinson dislike this kind of revolution, but since 1995 some sports have quickly updated to rugby. Like Saturday in Twickenham, the show is slowly getting ready to take on a new and very lucrative deal with South Africa. Actor.
A version of this article also appeared on NRC on the morning of March 14, 2022